South Korea now has an easier way of obtaining Bitcoin SV (BSV). Hotbit Korea, a recently launched subsidiary of Hotbit Global, has started offering two BSV pairs on its platform.

With the two new pairs, South Koreans will be able to directly trade fiat funds for BSV. With the added liquidity of parent company Hotbit Global, which is registered in Estonia and Hong Kong, and has regulatory approval to also trade in the U.S., Canada and Australia, customers will find plenty of trading depth to get great deals.

HotBit Global has supported Bitcoin SV since its very early days, recognizing the value that the BSV blockchain brings to the world. With a massively scaling blockchain, BSV is the only digital currency that can support enterprise businesses transactions, as it never has to suffer the congestion other chains often see, and that keeps transaction costs extremely low.

#BSV will be listed on the Hotbit Korea #KRW market on Sep 4th at 3PM.#Bitcoin SV (BSV) is created to improve #transaction efficiency by designing high block size with a #hardfork of Bitcoin Cash (#BCH).https://t.co/NWh9BbvFdr#hotbitkorea #hotbit #listing #bitcoinsv pic.twitter.com/daXDulb8BL

As it’s still a developing vertical, esports offers a lot of unique opportunities for operators, but many risks as well. At the SBC Summit Barcelona Digital, the ‘Breaking Barriers in esports Betting’ panel didn’t always see eye to eye on which paths to success were worth betting on.

When sports betting shut down, lots of punters turned to esports as one of the only available games to bet on. Erik Kristiansen, CEO of PixelBet and Pavel Krasnovsky, CEO of RTSmunity, didn’t see eye to eye on if this growth would be sustainable. Kristiansen thinks if the offering is right, older punters could stick around, but Krasnovsky thinks it will all be washed away as more traditional sports offerings come back.

Steven Salz, CEO & Co-founder of Rivalry, and Dr. Matthis Krischenhofer, Chief Legal Officer, Sport1, Medien AG, proposed that esports could perhaps be used in a different way. By offering a platform that appeals to younger punters, they could be converted to more profitable verticals. Salz explained:

“Our view is that esports is a great market access to less younger demographics and the next generations interest in betting. So I think what an esports endemic or an esports focused platform brings, like Pixelbet, is you can build on top of funnel, an onboarding experience, a retention experience, an overall user experience, and a customer support experience that is designed for a younger generation or the next generation. This is because you’re focusing on esports, but then you can up-sell them to sports, casino etc.”

Tsukasa Akimoto’s ability to snub his nose at the law, while serving as a Japanese lawmaker, apparently had no bounds. The disgraced parliamentary member has been arrested – for the fourth time – on charges related to the developing integrated resort (IR) initiative in the country, once again bringing embarrassment to Japan’s attempts to create a responsible, legitimate gambling market. As with the previous three arrests, this latest is tied to his dealings with China-based online gambling operator 500.com.

Akimoto is now looking at additional charges of violation anti-organized crime laws in Japan. There definitely seems to be a pattern to his actions, and this latest twist in the ongoing saga follows an arrest on similar charges that took place only a few weeks ago. The 48-year-old reportedly received bribes from 500.com to help it garner legislative support to enter Japan’s gambling scene, and then, when it was discovered that he had accepted the money, tried to pay off witnesses to change their stories. 

Prosecutors are apparently willing to go after Akimoto for each and every instance of wrongdoing, and he is now being accused of trying to bribe former 500.com advisor Katsunori Nakazato, a defendant in the ongoing case. Akimoto reportedly contacted a third party, Daisuke Matsuura, several times in order to try to arrange payments for Nakazato in exchange for false testimony. Masahiko Konno, a second defendant in the case and another 500.com advisor, was named as the primary target that led to Akimoto’s arrest last month. 

Those allegations are supported by Matsuura’s own testimony. He asserts that he had a dinner meeting with Nakazato in June and promised to make his perjury worthwhile. The following month, another individual, Kazuhiro Miyatake, allegedly wanted to give Nakazato $47,000, which Matsuura has confirmed came via a request by Akimoto. 

The sports world is returning to normal – finally. All major sports leagues are back in action, minus the NFL, which kicks off tomorrow. Just in time for the season, ESPN has brought back its Daily Wager broadcast, airing from a new home inside the LINQ Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. After being on a forced hiatus since March due to the coronavirus, the sports gambling-focused show is ready to make up for the lost time. 

The first episode of the Daily Wager reboot aired last night, also marking the first show held at LINQ. Previously, it was broadcast from the ESPN studios in Connecticut, and the sports media company had been working on moving to the Caesars property since May of last year, soon after it began, before being forced to halt its plans because of COVID-19. Going forward, the 6,000-square-foot studio will broadcast the show from Tuesday through Friday, as well as on Sunday, as long as the NFL action continues. 

The increased interest in sports gambling across the US has opened the doors to a number of broadcasts dedicated to sports wagers. With 18 states now offering legal sportsbooks, and another four almost ready, there is no shortage of fans to attract. In addition to these 22 states, another seven are working on their own versions of sports gambling legislation and, within a year, it’s possible that over half of the country will have some type of regulated market. 

The Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), a Las Vegas-based sports network, recently expanded and opened a studio in Illinois, another up-and-coming gambling hotspot. It signed on with Rush Street Interactive to host the Rush Hour sports broadcast, which focuses almost exclusively on sports gambling, and additional moves are likely to come in the future. As much as gambling opponents try to resist, the activity is becoming a standard element across the US, and trying to stop the momentum has the same results as hitting one’s head against a brick wall – and about the same outcome.

While it hasn’t been officially dubbed a fire sale by anyone, it’s definitely a fire sale. Station Casinos has put all its land in Reno up for sale, including a spot the casino operator had hoped it could turn into a massive gambling resort. The Reno Gazette-Journal explains that the properties were listed this past Saturday, and the fact that Station is most likely looking at taking major losses through any deal, it must be looking to come up with some fast cash. 

The two major properties that are now listed on CREXi.com, a commercial real estate exchange include an empty, 89-acre plot in south Reno and one that spans eight acres close to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and Reno Town Mall. The latter is where Station had hoped to build its next venue before it ran into serious trouble with locals, as well as economic setbacks. 15 years after making the move, nothing ever emerged.

Station envisioned a gambling facility and 900-key hotel for the property when it was first purchased in 2005. It saw massive, 225-foot hotel towers, retail spaces and, of course, a casino. $500 million would go toward the property’s development and, within a year, Station had received approval by the Reno City Council. In 2008, however, the real estate bubble in the US burst, and things went downhill. Nevada was hit hard by the recession, losing both a lucrative real estate development industry and its significant tourism market. Within six years, in 2014, the casino operator was looking to unload some of its Reno land, but wanted to keep the larger 89-acre property in its portfolio. Two years later, that changed and it, too, went up for sale.

Station then backed off and decided to approach the Reno City Council with another proposal, one that would include a smaller venue and no hotel. Once again, resistance emerged and nothing was ever produced, despite the company getting the green light from the council. With all of the properties now available for new ownership, it seems as though Station may have given up on its Reno renovation. 

As the sports betting industry gets more competitive, every little advantage is important to help an operator onboard and keep new customers. The first sports panel at the SBC Summit Barcelona Digital looked at what’s been working, and what they expect to be the next big edge in the market.

Player props have been huge, and new innovations like RequestABet from Sky have pushed the market towards more granular offerings, Joe Lee, Head of Great Britain & Ireland – Sportsbook Trading, Paddy Power said. “The key aspect is data, and people to interpret that data,” Lee said.

But the markets have yet to spread to all sports, and Philippe Joos, Head of Product & Innovation at Napoleon Sports & Casino, as well as moderator Andrew Dagnall, CEO of Bettorlogic, noted that ground could still be gained by expanding into cycling, in the case of Belgium, and golf, both of which could offer great live betting opportunities. Lee noted though that when they’ve expanded markets, they’ve seen a lack of consistent interest.

The danger of expanding the number of markets offered is that players may get confused, and not find the bet they most want to make. That’s where a great UX becomes mandatory. “We have to present to the audience the 5, 6, 7 most popular markets and then an easy navigation to get to the rest,” said Dimos Stranomitis, COO Altenar. The other panelists agreed. “It’s indeed crucial for the player to not lose the oversight,” said Joos, while Lee provided U.S. sportsbooks as an exemplary option.

The marriage between sports and sports gambling – two sectors that many thought could never successfully connect – continues. There have been a number of important partnerships announced this year between gaming operators and sports organizations and the latest comes via AC Milan out of Italy. The soccer club has inked a deal with Yabo Sports, a casino and sportsbook operator, to allow the latter to become its official regional partner in Asia. The initial agreement will remain in place for three years, with a possible renewal coming at the end.

Thanks to the new partnership, Yabo will gain exposure through Milan’s fan village and Digital Summer Tour, which has been created as a campaign to increase the exposure of the organization to Asian soccer fans. Together, the two entities will launch a number of initiatives and “interactive fan experiences” to raise brand presence in the region and to capture the important Asian soccer fan market. Yabo already has extensive exposure in the region, which will give Milan an established springboard for its initiatives. 

Yabo CMO David Lee says of the new partnership, “We are very excited to join hands with AC Milan, a club with the second largest fan base in China. For the next three years, we very much look forward to working closely with AC Milan to deliver incredibly creative sports entertainment experiences for our fans in Asia and beyond.”

The agreement is a win for Yabo, as well, as it will also be able to capitalize on soccer’s popularity in Asia to expand its footprint in the region. The financial details of the deal haven’t been provided, but Milan has been on a shopping spree this year, already spending millions to renew a long-standing partnership with Emirates, the United Arab Emirates-based airline. It also signed a “unique, industry-first” partnership with Roc Nation, a sports and entertainment agency, this past July.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf and, at some point, it will have to ditch the costume. This usually doesn’t happen, though, before a couple of the sheep have been devoured, which is why it’s always a good idea to be vigilant. Macau seems to have become an easy target for wolves lately, with some unsavory characters masking themselves in lottery costumes without having any affiliation to the city. Galaxy Entertainment has now apparently become a target, as well, as the company released a statement decrying any connection to any online gambling or betting site. 

In the statement, published on Galaxy’s website, the casino operator asserted that the Galaxy Macau, Broadway Macau and StarWorld Hotel “have no affiliations with any online gambling and betting sites, nor have we directly or indirectly authorised any websites and/or related companies to carry out any form of online gambling and betting activities for and on behalf” of the company. It didn’t specify any particular entity or site as being the culprit behind misrepresentation, but added that anyone who believes they come across a fake gambling site should contact police. The statement added that individuals should also contact police if they are “approached by any suspicious persons claiming to be in any way connected with Galaxy Entertainment” and “fake illegal gambling and betting websites.”

In setting the record straight, Galaxy hopes to fend off any attackers who believe it should be held accountable when they get ripped off. It asserted in the statement that Galaxy “should not be responsible for any losses or damages that may result from any individual or entity’s access to and/or use of fake websites.” The Internet is too old and scams too prevalent for Netizens not to be aware of how to better protect themselves on the web. 

The almost back-to-back scams involving Macau-based gambling activity might be a developing pattern as scammers look for new ways to trick people in the wake of a push by the Chinese government to curb illegal gambling. The country doesn’t allow the activity anywhere, except in Macau, and has recently launched several programs designed to keep it that way. As a result, the crackdown is forcing illegal operators to get creative and could possibly be using ties to legitimate casino operators to boost their possibilities of success. 

Canada’s land-based casino sector is slowly creaking back to life after its long pandemic shutdown this spring.

Last Friday, casino operator Great Canadian Gaming Corp (GCG) announced plans to reopen 11 casinos in Ontario that were ordered shut in mid-March as local COVID-19 infection rates spiraled out of control. The venues are scheduled to reopen on Monday, September 28.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced a “phased approach” to reopening the province’s casinos back in July, but left the ultimate decision on when to reopen to the third-party service providers who manage day-to-day operations at the facilities.

Few of these service providers saw then or see now much point in reopening given OLG’s restrictions, which include a maximum of 50 customers inside a venue at any given time, ensuring a minimum of two-meters physical distancing between guests and no live-dealer table games whatsoever.